


Runner Up

by think_blot



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Chess, F/M, Getting Together, Meet-Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-23 05:07:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30050358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/think_blot/pseuds/think_blot
Summary: “Maybe he hunts his victims in places where singles hang out.” Spencer said, “You know, bars, nightclubs, chess tournaments.”– He meets you at a chess tournament and it has a lasting impression.
Relationships: Spencer Reid/Reader
Kudos: 29





	Runner Up

The annual DC chess competition was in the middle of fall when the weather was leaning more towards snowmen and hot cocoa instead of jack o lanterns and candy. It was a weird middle ground and you always hated this time of year _except_ for this competition. Specifically, one of the finalists.  
You never went out of your way to watch people play chess but, when you had first moved to the area, you had explored and found yourself in the very same park with too many people surrounding a chess table. You had joined the audience and that was the first time you saw him. At the time, he had shaggy hair that was beyond unkempt and practically twitched with the wind. You had quickly learned that it was the finals and it was left to him and a girl that was going to need a new set of nails by the end of the day. It was obvious he was going to win, he only needed to move his knight and it’d be checkmate. Except, he didn’t. He made the move that ends the game in five turns instead of one, which lead to the other player winning and getting the prize. He had accepted defeat with a smile, nodding in congratulation to the girl, and, just like that, he had left. It had confused you but at the end of the day, it didn’t really matter. Then, a year had passed and you found yourself in the same park watching the same tournament again. Except he was against an old man and his hair was cut short. You had arrived closer to the beginning and you were able to see how he played. It was clear that he was smart and attentive, watching and calculating his opponent’s moves so far in advance you almost couldn’t keep up. But, again, the last move was there and he pretended to be oblivious to it. Another year and he was runner up and you were beyond intrigued. Sure, it was a little weird to only come for someone you never met before, chess wasn’t exactly something that warranted fans and groupies, but there was something about him. He was forfeiting on purpose, giving up a pretty decent cash prize, and was smart enough that no one ever noticed. It’s what brought you back every year to an almost freezing park, too early in the morning.  
This year, he was back to his shaggy hairstyle though it wasn’t as crazy as when you first saw it. He had more confidence around him, the mere presence of other people not forcing him to hide a flinch. The match ended the way it always did, a shocked checkmate breaking the silence and a polite nod from him. He never went in for a handshake and you wondered if, maybe, he didn’t like to be touched. He also never seemed to have anyone rooting for him. The winner always had a crowd to celebrate their victory, but, over the years, you hadn’t seen him go to anyone to mourn his loss. Or at least pretend to since he always knew he was going to lose. You always stayed to the back of the crowd, not wanting to cross his attentive gaze in case he questioned who you were or _why_ you were there, and once they all ran to the winner you knew that was your cue to leave.  
“You’re always so quick to leave.” You freeze, startled by the voice but not too surprised. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who was talking to you, especially since you knew this day would come. You just hoped it’d be somewhere between nowhere and never. For a moment, you considered pretending that you hadn’t heard him at all. But, your curiosity got the best of you and you found yourself face to face with him. It was a lot harder to deny how attractive he was when he was right in front of you. Then he smiled and you weren’t sure how you were still breathing. “I’m Spencer.”  
You cleared your throat, trying not to seem like you got caught red-handed. You weren’t exactly doing anything _wrong_ , just a little weird. “I’m Y/N.” You moved to shake his hand but remembered last minute that he wasn’t the biggest fan of them which lead to a very awkward wave. “Uh, nice game?”  
“Would you, uh,” He says, the confidence he had mustered up leaving now that you were looking at him. “Would you want to stay a little longer? Maybe get some bad street coffee?”  
You try to remind yourself that he’s a complete stranger and you weren’t one to go off without a care. You rarely gave out your number when people asked because it felt like too much too fast. But coffee never hurt anybody. _Street_ coffee, however. “How about we go to a café?” His eyebrows shot up at the suggestion, not expecting you to agree. “I know one that’s pretty quiet this early. Plus, I’m sure we both have some questions.” You laughed awkwardly, knowing that the question of ‘why do you lose on purpose?’ was a lot different than 'why do you keep showing up when I’m in a tournament?“ but you figured it was best to put it out there.  
His smile brightens and he gestures for you to lead the way. "After you.”

—-  
“Maybe he hunts his victims in places where singles hang out.” Spencer thought, “You know, bars, nightclubs, chess tournaments.” He listed, paying more attention to the case than what he was saying. He didn’t realize what he had said until Hotch trailed off and restarted the discussion. He turned to JJ, slightly confused, but he was just met with a look he knew all too well. She wanted to talk about his love life which wasn’t his favorite topic when it came to JJ.  
Though, ever since meeting you, he understood why people gushed about their significant others. Not that he would _gush_ , it’s just that he was excited to be with you and, maybe, after the case he’d finally tell them about you. Or at least JJ. You were always on his mind and the team starting to get curious, especially since he was having more and more slip ups like he just did.  
After meeting for coffee, the two of you basically talked every day. He had told you about his job and, almost immediately, you started to worry about him which lead to ’ _still alive_ ’ texts every now and then in your inbox. You kept odd hours which meant no matter what time zone he was in, you were probably awake and happy to answer, especially when he called. You had learned quickly that if he was calling on a case he needed something normal to get him to the end of it. You were happy to be that for him. If either of you were being honest, you didn’t really know when you started dating. He had a bad case, though he didn’t want you to know that. The jet had landed and he immediately pulled out his phone, calling you even though it was well past midnight. It didn’t matter, he knew you’d answer. And you did. He had gone over to your apartment, take out in his hands and a weight on his shoulder, but it lifted the slightest bit when you opened the door with a smile. You had spent the night catching up and ignoring the elephant in the room while Netflix asked if you were still watching in the background. You weren’t sure how it happened but when you woke up the two of you were laid out on your couch, take out on the floor and your head on his chest. It was almost seven in the morning and if you didn’t leave right away you were going to be late to work but then the body beneath you started to stir, pulling you closer to him in his drowsy state. He obviously needed his sleep and who were you to take that from him?  
“What time is it?” He had mumbled, still half asleep.  
Without thinking, you had leaned up and given him a soft kiss that matched the new morning. His smile was just as sweet. “Go back to sleep, Spence.” He patted your hip in response, falling back asleep immediately with you in his arms. You had texted your boss and told him you were using a sick day and settled back down on his chest. When the two of you woke up, everything had changed but nothing was _that_ different.  
That was months ago and he was pretty confident that you weren’t going anywhere. He knew for a fact that he wasn’t.

—-

It was a year into your relationship that he started taking walks. He had just gotten back from seeing his mother so you didn’t question him even though you were worried. He had told you about her surprisingly early in your relationship, grimacing as he did because he thought it’d be a deal-breaker. It wasn’t and, after some time, you had even talked to her over the phone. She was a sweetheart and most of the time when Spencer called her she ended up talking to you more than him. You would’ve gone to Vegas with him but your work was nowhere near lenient. So you took care of the plants you had gotten him and waited for a late night text saying everything was okay for a couple weeks. Then he came back and you had missed him so much that you just packed a bag and stayed at his apartment. You’d wake up in his bed without him by your side, his shoes missing from the side of the door. He’d text that he was home from a case but wouldn’t get to you until hours later, slightly out of breath with a faraway look in his eye. You were worried but you weren’t sure what you could do.  
Then you got a call from a very drunk Garcia. “Y/N, Y/N.” She sang as rustling sounds in the background let you know she was trying to caress you through the phone. You tried not to laugh but she was ranting about how amazing you were for her golden genius boy and it was too cute. “And I mean you should see the way he talks about you! His eyes go all wow and I can tell his heart is pitter-patter pitter-pattering, you know?” You hummed, your heart warming as she continued. You never doubted that he loved you, not for a moment, but the two of you weren’t the type to talk about it. You hadn’t even said you loved each other yet. Why would you when you both knew it already? “Morgan, that’s not very nice- hey!”  
More rustling and a distant Garcia was protesting before you heard anything again. “Y/N?” Morgan asked.  
You laughed, “Seems like you got your hands full over there, _Chocolate thunder_.”  
“You have no idea, pretty girl.” He groaned but you could hear his smile through it. You had always loved his nickname for you, simply because when the two of you first met he had said “looks like pretty boy found himself a pretty girl.” with an air of pride that turned Spencer beet red. After that, it always made you smile.  
“Are my chauffeur services needed?”  
“No, no, I got the wild child. She deserves celebration tonight.” Spencer had told you as little as possible about the mission that night. You knew about Garcia and about how she was in danger, your girl nights having to be postponed while she stayed in the office, but that was it. Though, it didn’t take a profiler to see that he was going to be in danger. “Though, maybe you should head on over and get your boy. He did good but…it was a lot.”  
Morgan was never one to admit something like that, let alone have such strong emotion coat his voice, so you immediately grabbed your keys and headed for his house. He had told you he went for a walk so you tried to keep your eye out for a tall shaggy haired man on the sidewalk. You found yourself at a park much like the one you had met him at and, to your luck, he was there. You sat on the swing next to him but his head remained looking at the ground. You swung slightly towards him, brushing against his side before gravity pulled you away. “You still alive?”  
He chuckled to himself and finally looked up, leaning against the chain as he stared at you. “Still alive.” The two of you sat there, letting the wind push you away and to each other for a moment. You could get lost in his eyes for a while, a world of knowledge and love but also pain. He had been through too much and half of it he didn’t want to burden you with. He took a deep breath, the same one he used before he told you about his mom, about the drugs, about all the near death experiences. You steeled yourself. “She has early-onset dementia.”  
There was nothing to say, really. The two of you could fight a lot together but when it came to the mind some things were inevitable. You knew he was scared, for both his mother and himself, but all you could do was distract him and let him know you were always there. You got up from the swing, the chains creaking as you did, and stood behind him. He leaned back into you without any fight and, for a moment, you just hugged him with your head in the nape of his neck. “You wanna play chess?”  
He let out a breath that sounded like a laugh, “You’ll lose.”  
You let go of him, laughing as he frantically tried to grab onto the chains to stabilize himself. Het gets up to follow you, a playfulness you had missed staring at you as you walked backward. “Past data doesn’t seem to support your theory, Dr. Reid.” His eyebrows shoot up and you know it’s a sign to run. So you do. You’re just about to make it to the chess table and sit down but he catches you before you can. “It’s not fair! You’re half legs!” You try and argue but he’s spinning you around and you can’t help but laugh. He turned you around, smiling down at you with a twinkle in his eyes, and you’re suddenly reminded of why you ever met. “Why did you always lose?” You had never gotten to ask, the two of you getting too lost awkwardly flirting over coffee to talk about the tournament.  
Even under little light, you could still see the blush on his cheeks, “There was this beautiful, smart, crazy woman that kept coming every time I lost. Though, that first time was just to help a friend.” You stared at him wide eyed. There was no way he was serious, that he had lost all those times because of you, but his voice was too sincere for it to be a lie. He shrugged, “I wanted to get to know her.”  
“She sounds insane.” You said under your breath, somewhat in shock.  
“Certifiable.” He smirked, catching your hand when you tried to shove him. “But I love her.”  
You really froze then, all of you focused on the man in front of you while you processed what he had said. “You-”  
“I do.” He was soft as he said it again and you felt a weight lift from your shoulders. You never thought the two of you would say it and now that the words were in the air it felt almost magical.  
“I love you too.” The two of you stood there in the middle of the park, holding each other and smiling at the other like they held the world. You kissed the corner of his mouth, emotions running wild between the two of you. You had tomorrow to figure everything out. “But you’re still going to lose.”  
You fell into the seat at the chess table, challenging Spencer as he looked at you way too softly. “I’ve already won.”


End file.
